Monsanto
Monsanto is a biotechnology company known for producing the Roundup brand of herbicides. It is also known for genetically modifying food crops to make them resistent to Roundup. Their patents and copyrights for Roundup and the Roundup-resistant genes are believed to violate anti-trust laws in the United States. Monsanto was one of four groups to introduce genes into plants in 1983, and was among the first to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops in 1987. It was one of the top 10 US chemical companies until it divested most of its chemical businesses between 1997 and 2002, through a process of mergers and spin-offs that focused the company on biotechnology. Monsanto was one of the first companies to apply the biotechnology industry business model to agriculture, using techniques developed by biotech drug companies. In this business model, companies recoup R&D expenses by exploiting biological patents. Monsanto's roles in agricultural changes, biotechnology products, lobbying of government agencies, and roots as a chemical company, resulted in controversies. The company once manufactured controversial products such as the insecticide DDT, PCBs, Agent Orange, and recombinant bovine growth hormone. Its seed patenting model was criticized as biopiracy and a threat to biodiversity as invasive species. In September 2016, Bayer announced its intent to acquire Monsanto for US$66 billion. After gaining US and EU regulatory approval, the sale was completed on June 7, 2018 where the name Monsanto was no longer used, but Monsanto's previous product brand names were maintained. The company ranked 199th on the 2018 Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue. Villainy and controveries Monsanto is often widely described as the "most evil corporation in the world." *They have declined to participate in examinations of their factories. *One gruesome study showed that their corn actually enlargened rats to 5 times their size. *They also have done work in India where they have gruesomely killed off all other companies at the time by showing them how their genetic products worked. The price was greatly enlarged and they took the farmers as slaves, and many farmers committed suicide. *Brofiscin Quarry was used as a waste site from about 1965 to 1972 and accepted waste from BP, Veolia and Monsanto. A 2005 report by Environmental Agency Wales (EAW) found that the quarry contained up to 75 toxic substances, including heavy metals, Agent Orange and PCBs. *In the late 1960s, the Monsanto plant in Sauget, Illinois, was the nation's largest producer of PCBs, which remained in the water along Dead Creek there. An EPA official referred to Sauget as "one of the most polluted communities in the region" and "a soup of different chemicals". *In Anniston, Alabama, plaintiffs in a 2002 lawsuit provided documentation showing that the local Monsanto factory knowingly discharged both mercury and PCB-laden waste into local creeks for over 40 years. In 1969 Monsanto dumped 45 tons of PCBs into Snow Creek, a feeder for Choccolocco Creek, which supplies much of the area's drinking water, and buried millions of pounds of PCB in open-pit landfills located on hillsides above the plant and surrounding neighborhoods. In August 2003, Solutia and Monsanto agreed to pay plaintiffs $700 million to settle claims by over 20,000 Anniston residents. Category:List Category:Articles under construction Category:Organizations Category:Corrupting Influence Category:Business Leaders Category:Vocal Villains Category:Liars Category:Cheater Category:Karma Houdini Category:Elitist Category:Evil Mastermind Category:Modern Villains Category:Eco Destroyer Category:Xenophobes Category:Criminals Category:Incriminator Category:Conspirators Category:Corrupt Officials Category:Delusional Category:Dissolved Organizations Category:Destroyer of Innocence Category:Polluters Category:Greedy Category:Control Freaks Category:Animal Cruelty Category:Saboteurs Category:Slaver Category:Emotionless Villains Category:Neutral Evil Category:Wolves in sheep's clothing Category:Charismatic Category:Master Manipulator